An Overview (SYNOPSIS)

Ever wonder what happens in the private world of nannies and the families they work for?
An amusing look into the households and the mishaps that arise along the whirly road towards cultural acceptance.
Follow a British nanny and an Emirati family in “Nanny Culture”, the dunes will be alive with songs of Arabia.

BEHIND THE STORY

Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al Nahyan

Anasy Media was founded in 2007 by Sheikha Alyazia Bint Nahyan Al Nahyan.

Anasy’s main achievements include several film productions that are available on iTunes, Virgin Megastores and numerous TV channels. Alyazia has contributed mainly to Anasy documentaries such as: Home of History Future’s Nation, Serat Al Ehsan, Common Ground and The Tainted Veil. Her company organizes cultural events and has held two successful international documentary awards and a documentary club in Abu Dhabi. In addition to media, Alyazia is also an artist whose paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally.

Paul James Driscoll

Paul has eight years experience in written and visual production in the UK and the Middle East. He graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a BA in International Journalism. After graduating, he wrote for various publications at Vitesse Media, a UK business media company.

Paul moved to Abu Dhabi in 2008 as a reporter for The National newspaper and wrote for online and published in several sections. He was promoted to Online Editor but, with an increasing passion for visual storytelling, accepted a full-time Multimedia Producer role from January 2011. He has won four awards from the prestigious National Press Photographers Association for short films produced while at The National.

Paul has worked as director of photography, post production editor and photographer for, among others, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Oxfam, Corbis, the United Nations and the BBC. His main areas of interest lie in social issues and human-interest stories.

Bin Baz

Abdulaziz also known popularly as ‘Bin Baz’ is an active Emirati figure on social media networks, who is well known for creating satire and comedy videos in Arabic. Bin Baz utilizes Instagram, twitter and YouTube to shed light on socio-economic issues of the Emirati society and presents such cases in comedy-wrapped videos.

JULIE (the nanny):

“Making Nanny Culture was a unique experience, which was challenging at times, but also really fun…”

MOHAMMAD (the father):

“We had such an amazing time, I wish it wasn’t over …”

BADRYA (the mother):

“It was a new experience, I liked it because I realized how special my family is.”

ABDULLAH:

“It was ok, but it still prevented me from playing my video games.”

AMNA:

”It was definitely an unusual experience to have cameras following us around.”

www.sonara.net

www.alittihad.ae

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www.albayan.ae

CRITICS & REVIEWS

SARAH SUTTON

Author

“Nanny Culture, a truly original documentary that lifts the lid on the private yet rapidly expanding world of the professional nanny in the UAE, affording viewers an incredible insight into the everyday lives of wealthy families in the UAE and the “help” that keeps things running.”
“It is certainly not a documentary in the traditional sense, but for its odd moments, Nanny Culture does open a window onto a world rarely seen. Culture clashes (“Can you believe she tried to shake my hand?”) and eye-opening trips out to the market and camel races all serve to intrigue and interest viewers and give a taste of what truly lies in store for a British nanny moving farther afield.”
The Upcoming

“Nanny Culture is a charming and insightful documentary.”
“Therefore, this documentary certainly comes as a recommended watch as it gives rare insight into a private world and dispels any ignorance and misconceptions associated with it, allowing us to appreciate and understand ways of life that we not be all that familiar with, delivered to us in a clever narrative style as we are equally as new and strange to this world as Julie is and learn with her.
It is funny and educational, emotional and awkward. “
The Upcoming

MIREK GOSNEY

Critic

“There’s certainly messages and lessons on multiculturalism and class structure that can be taken from this story and it’s all very fascinating”

Kristian Mitchell Dolby - Fan Carpet UK

Morena Duwe - Huffington Post

Music & Culture Journalist

'An entire culture of relocated nannies and housekeepers exists, often taking mothers and sometimes fathers away from their own children to raise someone else’s. Produced by Anasy Media, the documentary film Nanny Culture offers a lighthearted take on this community of nannies.
Winner of several awards including Best Documentary Award at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards in 2016 and Gold Award at the Hollywood Film Competition in 2017, this dryly comedic documentary is continuing to make its rounds in the film festival circuit. The film utilizes a style similar to cinéma vérité where there is no voice-over narration and very few interviews. It takes a more voyeuristic approach as the viewer simply watches the main subject’s life unfurl, even showing tidbits of the film crew in the frame.'

FUN FACTS

During filming the desert scene with Bin Baz, his car gets stuck in the sand. The same incident occurred twice behind the scenes with the crew's vehicle transporting the guest in the intended vehicle for the scene.

The production worked with actual nannies throughout the whole film.

The family is a well-respected family, appearing on screen for the first time, an experience lived by the rest of the cast.

The film was shot as a mockumentary at the start, but when most of the scenes played authentically, the product leaned towards a documentary.

The necklaces with the names in Arabic calligraphy are popular among tourists. Incidentally, when the nanny and her friend bought two necklaces for themselves, the names got mixed up.

The British agencies for nannies are popular in the UAE since the 80's and still growing in popularity today.

When Julie was talking to her husband on the phone in an early scene, it was hard for her to focus, being distracted by the kids swinging on the curtains, which reminded her of "the sound of music' movie.